DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1-5 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Krippner et al., US Pub. 2011/0314935.
Regarding claim 1, Krippner teaches a multi-axis force sensing device (see at least fig. 1 and paragraph 0044+), comprising:
a central portion (inner ring 32),
an outer ring portion (outer ring 33), surrounding the central portion;
a plurality of measurement shafts (beams 34), respectively connected between the central portion (32) and the outer ring portion (33), the measurement shafts equally disposed on an outer side of the central portion (“definite angle and distance relative to each other”, see at least paragraph 0010-0011); and
a plurality of sensing groups (at least three; see fig. 1), a first surface (top surface) and a second surface (side surface) of each of the sensing groups respectively disposed with one of the measurement shafts, and each of the sensing groups comprising:
a first strain sensing element (strain gauge 16 on the top surface of the shaft), disposed on a first central line of symmetry of the first surface or a second central line of symmetry of the second surface; and
a second strain sensing element (strain gauge 15 on the lateral side surface of the shaft), disposed on the first surface or the second surface.
Regarding claim 2, Krippner teaches the multi-axis force sensing device according to claim 1, wherein the first surface of each of the measurement shafts is perpendicular to the second surface (see fig. 1and paragraph 0044).
Regarding claim 3, Krippner teaches the multi-axis force sensing device according to claim 1, wherein the first strain sensing element and the second strain sensing element of each of the sensing groups are arranged in a direction perpendicular to the first central line of symmetry or in a direction perpendicular to the second central line of symmetry (see fig. 1 and at least paragraph 0044).
Regarding claim 4, Krippner teaches the multi-axis force sensing device according to claim 1, wherein the first strain sensing element and the second strain sensing element of each of the sensing groups are semiconductor strain gauges (“semiconductor strain gauges”, see paragraph 0040).
Regarding claim 5, Krippner teaches the multi-axis force sensing device according to claim 1, wherein a number of the measurement shafts is at least three, and the measurement shafts surround the central portion with a central point of the central portion as a center of symmetry (see fig. 1).
Claim(s) 1 and 6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Krippner et al., US Pub. 2011/0314935.
Regarding claim 1, Krippner teaches a multi-axis force sensing device (see at least fig. 7 and paragraph 0062+), comprising:
a central portion (inner ring 32),
an outer ring portion (outer ring 33), surrounding the central portion;
a plurality of measurement shafts (beams 20 and 34), respectively connected between the central portion (32) and the outer ring portion (33), the measurement shafts equally disposed on an outer side of the central portion (“definite angle and distance relative to each other”, see at least paragraph 0063-0065); and
a plurality of sensing groups (at least three; see fig. 7), a first surface (top surface) and a second surface (opposite surface) of each of the sensing groups respectively disposed with one of the measurement shafts, and each of the sensing groups comprising:
a first strain sensing element (strain gauge 16 on the top surface of the shaft), disposed on a first central line of symmetry of the first surface or a second central line of symmetry of the second surface; and
a second strain sensing element (strain gauge 15 on another side surface of the shaft), disposed on the first surface or the second surface.
Regarding claim 6, Krippner teaches the multi-axis force sensing device according to claim 1, wherein a temperature coefficient of resistance of the first strain sensing element is different from a temperature coefficient of resistance of the second strain sensing element, and/or a temperature coefficient of gauge factor of the first strain sensing element is different from a temperature coefficient of gauge factor of the second strain sensing element (Since the positioning and/or the location of the strain sensing elements are different the temperature coefficient of resistance of the first strain sensing element may be different to the second strain sensing element. And, due the different positioning and/or location of the first strain gauge element to the second strain gauge element, the temperature coefficient of gauge factor may be different.).
Claim(s) 7-10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Fleissner et al., US Pub. 2020/0191665.
Regarding claim 7, Fleissner teaches a calibration method of a multi-axis force sensing device (see at least paragraphs 0046-0109), comprising:
providing a multi-axis force sensing device, wherein the multi-axis force sensing device comprises a plurality of measurement shafts and a plurality of sensing groups disposed on the measurement shafts, and each of the sensing groups comprises a first strain sensing element and a second strain sensing element (temperature compensated measurement strain gauge; see paragraph 0046+);
applying a calibration force to the sensing groups at a first temperature to obtain first actual strain data, and applying the calibration force to the sensing groups at a second temperature to obtain second actual strain data (temperatures testing at 0, 12.5, 22, 37.5 and 50; see at least paragraphs 0062, 0066-0077);
obtaining a first temperature calibration matrix according to the first actual strain data and the calibration force, and obtaining a second temperature calibration matrix according to the second actual strain data and the calibration force (temperature compensation experiments found in paragraphs 0066-0077 with regards to F/T sensor calibration matrix);
obtaining a calibration coefficient matrix according to the first temperature calibration matrix and the second temperature calibration matrix (bridge output voltage and bridge current being multiplied by a matrix of coefficient to derive average temperature values for the strain gauge); and
obtaining a compensated calibration matrix according to a first temperature value, a second temperature value, the first temperature calibration matrix, and the calibration coefficient matrix (see the temperature compensation method under repeated testing as the sensor temperature and/or loading changes; see at least fig. 10 and paragraphs 0088-0089).
Regarding claim 8, Fleissner teaches the calibration method of the multi-axis force sensing device according to claim 7, wherein applying the calibration force to the sensing groups at the first temperature to obtain the first actual strain data and applying the calibration force to the sensing groups at the second temperature to obtain the second actual strain data further comprise:
measuring the first temperature to obtain the first temperature value; and measuring the second temperature to obtain the second temperature value (see the temperature compensation method under repeated testing as the sensor temperature and/or loading changes; see at least fig. 10 and paragraphs 0088-0089).
Regarding claim 9, Fleissner teaches the calibration method of the multi-axis force sensing device according to claim 7, wherein applying the calibration force to the sensing groups at the first temperature to obtain the first actual strain data and applying the calibration force to the sensing groups at the second temperature to obtain the second actual strain data further comprise:
obtaining the first temperature value and the second temperature value according to the first actual strain data and the second actual strain data (see the temperature compensation method under repeated testing as the sensor temperature and/or loading changes; see at least fig. 10 and paragraphs 0088-0089 and temperature compensation experiments found in paragraphs 0066-0077 with regards to F/T sensor calibration matrix).
Regarding claim 10, Fleissner teaches the calibration method of the multi-axis force sensing device according to claim 7, wherein obtaining the first temperature calibration matrix according to the first actual strain data and obtaining the second temperature calibration matrix according to the second actual strain data further comprise:
decoupling the first actual strain data by a method of least squares to obtain the first temperature calibration matrix; and
decoupling the second actual strain data by the method of least squares to obtain the second temperature calibration matrix (coefficients are derived using a method of least squares fit to sensor loading data and the sensor temperature data; see at least paragraphs 0054, 0066-0071 and 0088).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to KYUNG S LEE whose telephone number is (571)272-1994. The examiner can normally be reached 7AM-3PM M-F.
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KYUNG S. LEE
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2833
/KYUNG S LEE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2833